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For many seasoned NRL players, playing a couple of Super League seasons is the perfect way to beef up the bank account before retirement. For Mitchell Pearce, 34, signing with Catalans allowed him to grow as a man and player before he announced last month he was hanging up the boots at the end of this season. A grand final against Wigan this weekend looms as the perfect end to what hasn’t always been the perfect career.
What will it mean to play your final match, after 16 seasons, in a grand final at Old Trafford?
I woke up this morning feeling like it was Christmas Day. This is my third grand final, so I feel blessed. Some blokes never play in one. So to go out like that in my last season, after announcing my retirement a few weeks ago, is a dream finish. Doing it with this team is the special part. French rugby league’s never won a competition and that was the goal when I came over here: to create history for French rugby league.
From what I could gather, Catalans fans were going off after the semi-final win against St Helens in Perpignan.
They’re special fans. The south of France is mostly about rugby union. They have some big clubs here. Many Australians and Kiwis come here to play rugby, but Perpignan is all rugby league. They are very proud people who love the game.
Mitchell Pearce is preparing for the final match of his career.Credit: Getty
Has finishing your career in Europe changed you?
It’s been great for me. It was a good age to come over — both on and off the field. You grow up and it changes your perspective on life. I’ve got so much out of the experience and that’s the biggest motivation for me in the grand final: I want to repay the players who have helped make that happen.
You’re playing in a gun team. Tyrone May, in particular, is flying.
He’s had a super year. He’s the form five-eighth of the competition. Obviously, he had his dramas that meant he had to leave Penrith and I reckon it’s been tough for him, seeing Penrith’s success the last two years. He’s a proud Mount Druitt boy. He’s signed with Hull next year, but it won’t surprise me if he finds himself back in the NRL in the next couple of years.
Now we’re down to the last match, how do you reflect on your career?
I’m proud. I’m really proud. I feel proud that I’ve been able to play for so long and proud of what I’ve achieved. When you’re playing week to week, you don’t appreciate everything. I’ve given it everything: my energy, my obsession to rugby league for a long time. I’m looking forward to opening my mind to new things.
Career highlights?
The grand final win [with the Roosters in 2013] for sure. When you think back on your career, you think of all the great Roosters teams I’ve played in; the culture and feeling around that group, they’re the things I remember. We were so connected. Every time I ran out for NSW was a privilege. [Laughs] There was some criticism around those times, but I’ll be telling my kids how good those times were.
Did you feel a sense of closure winning that last game for the Blues in the 2019 series decider?
Yeah, I did. That was a highlight I’ll never forget because of the pressure on that team. The way the game finished … you can’t replicate that sort of feeling.
Hugging NSW coach Brad Fittler after winning the 2019 State of Origin decider.Credit: Getty
You had a few off-field incidents during your NRL career. What did they teach you?
Going to rehab was a big turning point in my life. In those moments, there’s a lot of shame. You feel like you’ve let the club down. The person I was then, drinking heavy and bingeing … it was poor leadership. The experience I got out of rehab and meeting all these people from all around the world, it was an actual blessing. Looking back with an older head, that was a time that was a lot of growth for me.
There was plenty of speculation earlier this year about you coming back to the NRL for either the Tigers or Roosters. Did either of them approach you?
Yeah, they did. I was open to playing another season. There were a couple of opportunities floating around in the NRL. Catalans also wanted me to play another year. But there was a lightbulb moment when, for the first time in my career, I was looking forward to something different. I still love playing footy — I love running out there and competing — but if I went again, would I have the motivation I’ve had in the past? That’s how I arrived at my answer to retire.
Have the Roosters come knocking about returning in some role?
There might be an opportunity there. I’ve got a great relationship with Nick [Politis, Roosters chairman] and Robbo [Trent Robinson, coach]. Nick has always been a loyal supporter of my career, even when I left the club. I’d like to do some mentoring stuff, coaching young halves. I learned a lot from older guys coming through. I know how much that benefitted me. I’d like to help with that type of stuff. I also want to take some time off and see what else is out there.
I notice on your WhatsApp pic that you’ve got the little French moustache. Is that going to stay?
I’ve got a beard now. You have to keep them guessing!
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